Okpanam community in Asaba metropolis, Delta State capital city recently, caused a stir on the access road opposite the Asaba Airport as they engaged in protest against what they described as government’s high-handedness in its land regularisation process with charms and amulets.
It could be recalled that recently, the Delta State Government resolved to regularize ownership titles of all the lands located opposite Asaba Airport, Okpanam, described as Core Area IIA, being encroached upon and built on by unknown persons.
In a bid to give soft landing to the illegal occupants as against outright seizure and or demolition, the State Government availed the defaulters the option to pay token fees which covers the cost of the land building and development permission and Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) to retain the lands.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Urban Development has constituted a Committee to ensure that owners of the buildings opposite Asaba Airport, Okpanam obtain planning permission for their buildings/development, ensure that all structures located within the Core Area in point, meet the minimum stipulated standards and also ensure the regularisation of land titles through the issuance of C of O within the time frame of ninety days.
Any illegal occupant whether individual, group or corporate body who fail to pay the required fees and have their land titles regularised would at the expiration of the 90days’ time frame ran the risk of forfeiture and demolition of such property.
The cost incurred for the demolition exercise will be borne by the owner of the illegal property demolished as contained in the provisions of the Delta State Town and Country Planning Law.
The residents, consisting of landlords, tenants, youths and the aged, held placards and chanted, as they stood behind the charms, with some fetish pieces of cloth to bar motorists from using the road.
Although they didn’t really block the road, drivers and passersby who saw the fetish objects fled the scene, apparently in fear of being harmed by the objects.
The placards read: ‘This is our ancestral land, we have no other place to go’, Governor Okowa, your matter was our matter. Is it still your matter?’, ‘We say no to official extortion’, ‘Okpanam community voted for PDP. What is our benefit?’, ‘Okowa, prevail on Ministry of Lands and Survey to review the obnoxious fees’, ‘If Delta Government is broke, Okpanam is not another oil field’.
Responding to questions from journalists as to why the charms were used on the road, one of the protesters said that it was just a way to show that they were unhappy with government’s decisions.
Speaking on their protests, the youths leader of Ezechie Okonye Family, Okpanam, Okonkwo Ezechei, said that they came out there to meet with the Delta State Ministry of Lands and Survey, to have a meeting so as to resolve the issue.
“They fixed a levy mandating that we will pay N1.5 million and above for the regularisation. But the weather of Nigeria today is so hard for us to pay that kind of amount. We are appealing to the state Government to reduce the money for us. We are ready to comply with them, but let them reduce the money so that people can accept to pay. If we accept to pay, honestly, we will be lying to the Government because we may never turn up in the next 20 years. The money is just not there. That is why we are begging them to reduce the money. When we complained, they brought some documents for us. We would want them to peg the payment at what others pay as Fasttrack, N225, 000”.
On the charms, Okonkwo said : “It is not charms, but a shrine. This is the Akwukwa family shrine that we brought its objects here. Any time we are having a sitting, we bring it down to the place we meet.”
Prince Obaro Nuafe, a resident and property owner also appealed to the state government to reconsider the levy: “I am a resident of this section of Ogbewele quarters, opposite the Asaba airport. I met all the requirements for owning property in the area, I have paid my normal payments, including development levies, this street is named after me. This place is an ancestral property of the Ezechei family. It’s named Agu Estate, under Ogbewele quarters, and historically, I have never known that the place has been under dispute until recently. It was at the exit of the previous government that we began to hear that it was acquired, but not compensated for. I want to commend Governor Okowa, whose matter is always our matter. That’s why we gave him landslide victory. That’s why we are not happy at this development. Last week when they circulated a circular, specifying different kinds of fees for us to pay, from 100 by 100 to one acre, we appreciated the new move as a new kind of engagement. But one should know that the Buhari economic policies have visited most families that they can’t afford two square meals a day anymore. Where do you expect a civil servant to cough out N1.5, N2.5, N3, and N4 million in these hard times?,”he queried.
They therefore called on the government to truly be humane in reviewing the cost of the levy.
Recall that in the previous week, the state government had issued a statement saying that over 4,500 properties on government lands pencilled for demolition will no more be destroyed.
Specifying that property owners must pay a regularisation fee within a 90 day period, it said the buildings may be pulled down if the fees are not paid. It gave fees ranging from N1.5million to N4 million, for lands between 1, 000 square meters to 3, 000 and above.
The State Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Chief Dan Okenyi, who undertook a tour of the affected area said the lands belong to the government, but were illegally acquired by individuals who did not ascertain the status of the lands before proceeding to develop. But, according to him, Governor Okowa decided not to walk the path of demolition of buildings as is the case in other states and the set of fees approved for the owners of the buildings to obtain legal ownership.
Okenyi said those affected would obtain titles to the lands within 90 days. He said the approval was in furtherance of the governor’s resolve to take decisions based on the best interest of the people of Delta State. “Senator Okowa rejected all suggestions for government to retake the land, saying that such a move will impoverish hardworking people,”he emphasized.
The task force is led by Mr. Alex Eboka, a surveyor with Mr. ChuksIku as secretary. It is expected to issue notices to owners of the buildings based on the evaluation of the lands.
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